Parasitoid complex of the pistachio twig borer moth, Kermania pistaciella, in Iran

Abstract

The parasitoid complex of the pistachio twig borer moth, Kermania pistaciella Amsel (Lepidoptera: Tineidae), a native pest of pistachio trees, was investigated at 27 pistachio plantation sites in Kerman province, the major pistachio growing area of Iran. The present study was conducted to document the naturally established parasitoid complex and to assess the need for improving the biological control of this species. In total, 22,390 moth cocoons were collected from 186 samples collected from commercial orchards during 2006–2008 and kept singly in controlled conditions to rear immature insects. An average of 2.8% of moth cocoons had been attacked by predators at time of sampling. Of the collected cocoons, on average 46.7% completed development and emerged as adult moths, no insects emerged from 8%, suggesting that the moth or wasp died before maturing, and parasitoids emerged from the remaining 42.5%. The overall percentage of host cocoons from which wasps emerged ranged from 25.6 to 59%. Fifteen hymenopterous parasitoid species were recovered from cocoons, of which three species were primary parasitoids, two were obligatory hyperparasitoids and the remaining 10 species were facultative hyperparasitoids. The primary parasitoid, Chelonus kermakiae (Tobias) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), was the most abundant comprising almost 85% of the total emerging parasitoids. In addition, a further four species of larval parasitoid developed within the PTBM's larval tunnels in pistachio fruit cluster-stem tissue. Conservation of these parasitoids in the pistachio growing areas is recommended since a high level of parasitized moths’ cocoons was found at the majority of experimental sites.

Keywords:

• biological control
• parasitism
• pistachio
• Pistacia vera
• Braconidae
• Chalcididae
• Encyrtidae
• Eulophidae
• Eupelmidae
• Eurytomidae
• Ichneumonidae
• Pteromalidae

Acknowledgements

We particularly thank the expert taxonomists who identified the materials; Professor C. van Achterberg, Dr K. Dzhanokmen, Dr G. Gibson, Dr J. Noyes, Dr M. Schwarz, Professor M. Zerova and Dr Z. Yefremova. We also thank Drs C. Hodgson and M. Shaw for a critical review of this manuscript, S.H. Alavi, H. Masoumi, R. Mirzaei and A. Radjabi for assistance in sampling. This research was supported by the Pistachio Research Institute of Iran.